The space shuttle was developed and operated by NASA as part of the space transportation system program.  it is the first orbital human spacecraft designed for reusability.  the space shuttle discovery (ov-103) flew a total of 39 missions.  the first was mission was sts-41d, on August 30, 1984 and the last was sts-133 on February 24, 2011.  spending a total of 365 days in space, traveling more than 148, 221, 675 miles, discovery flew more spaceflights than any other space shuttle or spacecraft in history.  it famously deployed the Hubble space telescope on its April 1990, sts-31 mission and carried John Glenn on its sts-95 mission in October 1998, when the Astronaut was 77 making him the oldest person ever to reach space.  the discovery is now retired and on display at the Smithsonian Institution National air & space Museum. Model is approximately 4 1/2 inches long with 3 1/8 inch wingspan.